Verdant 002 003

I want to say first that I like her. I want that on record. Whatever this looks like, I like that little girl. I really do.

I've been asked to explain the seating plans.

We use an app called Greenleaf. It's meant to optimise classroom dynamics - who sits where, who partners with who for group work, who gets picked for which activity. The school adopted it in January. Every morning it sends me a plan. I follow it.

I didn't choose where Erika sat. The app did. I want that understood.

At the start of the year she was in the middle table, with her two best friends, in the top reading group. I remember that because I remember thinking it was a nice group - they got on well, they helped each other.

By half term the app had her moving constantly - a different table most weeks, in and out of different reading groups. I remember seeing her name in different places, but there were plenty of other kids being moved around too, so it never struck me as unusual.

I noticed. I did notice. I told myself the app knew things I didn't. Reading levels, personality assessments, whatever it was measuring. I just assumed it was for her benefit.

I was keen to do it properly. We were being told Greenleaf was best practice, and with Ofsted coming I didn't want to be the person ignoring the system because I thought I knew better. I suppose that meant I kept following it longer than I should have.

Her mother came in. She said Erika didn't want to come to school anymore. She said she'd stopped talking about her friends at home. I told her we were keeping an eye on things. I meant it when I said it.

You've asked me whether I ever questioned a single one of the app's instructions.

No. Not once. Not all year. I thought about it, but I didn't question it.

You've shown me the seating plans printed out, side by side, January to now. I can see how often she was moved when they're laid out like that. I couldn't see it one day at a time.

The other children moved around and then ended up back with their usual groups. Erika didn't.

I need to ask something. Is she alright? Nobody will tell me if she's alright.